Writing my way through the A-to-Z blogging challenge, I’ve tasked myself with creating a manifesto reflecting wonders, curiosities, and delights currently captivating me – all through the lens of unusual, obscure, or simply charming-to-me words.
W is for…
wyobraźnia – (n) Polish word meaning imagination; fancy; vision; the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.
(audio of pronunciation can be found here)
I’m not Polish, nor do I speak the language, so you may wondering why I’ve chosen a Polish word for my manifesto. But remember the entire point of this manifesto is to reflect wonders, curiosities, and delights currently captivating me, and this word represents that for me in spades.
If you’re a word lover perhaps you’ve had the experience of pure delight when a new word finds you. For me, with some words, this can be amplified exponentially. I get a little tingle of excitement; a felt sense that this new word and I are going to be good friends, and like in all good new relationships there is that little sense of wonder of what universal magic actually brought us into each other’s orbit.
I was sitting in a waiting room, and being told that things were running a bit behind schedule, I pulled out a book – a book of poems by Wislawa Szymborska. Szymborska was a Polish poet and essayist, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1996.
As I was settling in for a read, another woman waiting, remarked that she was a great fan of Szymborska and asked what I thought. I guessed from her accent and how she pronounced the poet’s name that she was Polish, and I mentioned that I had trouble, like so many other Americans I imagine, pronouncing Wislawa Szymborska’s name correctly.
She laughed and said she thought it was because clearly American English lacked imagination – we didn’t know how to arrange letters in exciting pairings. She said we lacked wyobraźnia. Needless to say I was smitten. What a delightful and extraordinary thing to say. I had her spell the word for me, and then just like that, she was called for her appointment, I for mine, and the encounter was over.
And yet I came away with a fabulous word, gifted to me in a rather curious fashion, and so of course it belongs in my manifesto.
Szymborska herself had a few things to say about imagination.
“Inspiration is not the exclusive privilege of poets or artists. There is, there has been, there will always be a certain group of people whom inspiration visits. It’s made up of all those who’ve consciously chosen their calling and do their job with love and imagination…Difficulties and setbacks never quell their curiosity. A swarm of new questions emerges from every problem that they solve. Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know’.”
I seriously love these wise words of her’s as well:
“Any knowledge that doesn’t lead to new questions quickly dies out: it fails to maintain the temperature required for sustaining life.”
I think imagination is a very undervalued thing in our society. We offer a little leeway to artists and children, but in general the realm of imagination isn’t a place we’re encouraged to visit at length. Quick forays there only, if that.
But I think there can be no doubt that imagination stimulates creativity and innovation. Doesn’t our world, collectively and individually, need us to imagine kinder, more peaceful, more inclusive solutions? Don’t we need our imagination to truly reach into the magic of all we can become? I certainly think so.
I am a devotee of wyobraźnia, and all the expansive possibilities our imagining invites.
What about you? Are you exercising your imagination? Do you celebrate the arrival of fabulous new words into your world? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
Will my comment go through I wonder – battling to leave responses.
Well, this one came through Susan. I hope whatever is the obstacle will clear with ease.
Thanks Deborah ….Fits and starts on my trying to comment on others’ A-Z posts – more fits actually. Something’s up, or down …
I tried to say the ‘word’ on my own before listening to it on the audio. I didn’t get it right 🙂 Language is so interesting. We’re watching a Danish DVD series subtitled in English and it amazes and intrigues me the sounds of foreign languages and words that are foreign to me such as you provide.
Szymborska’s saying about knowledge is so true – if we had the answers we’d slide into entropy!
I’m always fascinated by languages I don’t know – which is just about all of them. I used to be disappointed that I didn’t have an aptitude for languages, but I simply don’t, and that’s that.
That quote from Szymborska has me thinking about what creates the “right” temperature for things to thrive, and what blossoming conditions might be. I think perhaps thoughts of Spring are weighing very heavily on my brain of late.
I love that quote about imagination. I often feel that I’m lacking in that (and creativity), yet I am a curious person who explores whatever I don’t know or understand to find out more.
Sounds like Szymborska’s got you covered. 🙂 But your comment has me thinking about how we come to believe the things we do about ourselves, and sometimes build elaborate stories based on a foundation of air. We are very odd creatures, and worthy of curiosity.
As a frequent traveler in the Land of I Don’t Know, I know that elusive territory well. In the past 7-10 years I’ve been such a constant visitor that I’ve been awarded citizenship. The way things are shaping up I may be queen in the next six months or so.
As always I’m delighted by your posts. Love , Corky
LOL Corky! Should a coronation be imminent do let me know. I know you’ll score a fabulous looking crown, and I suspect there may more likely be a wand than a scepter.
Hi Deborah – yes I think I fall in this slot somehow … I’m always asking people how they pronounce their names, or spell them, or where they’are from … and learn as I go; I did work with Eastern Europe when I was in London, and then I spent time in Africa … it’s the Asian words that befuddle me … and now the Canadian ones!! Cheers Hilary
Opportunities abound – and there’s so much wonderfulness to be learned!
“Any knowledge that doesn’t lead to new questions quickly dies out” was the underlying premise of my liberal arts college education. In a nutshell, we were tasked with remembering to keep on asking why– and then sharing our “light” with other people. What a cool word you’ve found as your manifesto. I like it.
A very useful teaching indeed Ally, and clearly one that’s been serving you well.
What a delighful word and even more was the find for it- the chance encounter is what I guess the poet is talking about. When we are open to receive, the Universe manifests it for us to receive what we are looking/waiting for.
X is for Xenial #atozchallenge
I absolutely agree. It was an entirely delightful bit of magic – one I like to call a cosmic wink.
I love the serendipity of encountering another enthusiast of that particular poet in that particular office… wow!
Beth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/27/x-ercise/
I know – pretty fun isn’t it?!
Hari OM
Wanted so much to comment yesterday, but I can’t do typing on tablets…&*<
Very excited by this wonderful word, Deborah. I was with my sister last night and she was sharing with me two books she had bought herself the day before… and then I read aloud this post which made us tingle. What were those books?
The Shape of Ideas (Grant Snider) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shape-Ideas-Illustrated-Exploration-Creativity/dp/1419723170
Mindfulness & the Art of Drawing (Creative Path to Awareness) W.A. Greenhalgh https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=mindfulness+and+the+art+of+drawing&index=aps&tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_7xxgc2wczq_e&adgrpid=54723910058&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=259040004395&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7681168360596744702&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=20342&hvtargid=kwd-299163365746
They both talk of imagination, inspiration and all "wyobraźnia"!!! YAM xx
Oh wow Yamini – those look to be fabulous books, and on my list they go. Don’t you love it when thread in the great web cross and help us see how connected things really are?! I so love that!
…it ties together those who need to be – no matter how ‘gossamer’ the thread! Yxx
Indeed.
Have you seen the essay by Isaac Asimov about creativity? It echoes a few of your points. Here’s a post I wrote about a bit of it: http://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2015/01/creation-is-embarrassing.html
Wybraznia is a great word, and what a lovely story of how it came to you! Thanks for sharing.
I didn’t know about Asimov’s essay Anne – thank you for sharing your post about it. Very interesting indeed. Here’s to creativity and all manner of co-conspiring, foolishness, and individual thought!